


Correction

by Peskychloe



Series: BokuAka Week [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, April Fools' Day, M/M, Skateboarding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 14:46:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10515873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peskychloe/pseuds/Peskychloe
Summary: 'Hey. Urm, have you seen the latest issue yet?-The magazine puts things right, at Bokuto's request, but at what cost?





	

**Author's Note:**

> BokuAka week - Day 7 - Pranks

'Are you sure about this?'

'I've been giving it a lot of thought, Daichi. I was really mad last time. Y'know I was.'

'I said I was sorry...'

Bokuto interrupted him with a wave of his arms. 'No, no, dude, I know. I'm not mad at you any more. Akaashi put me straight on you being a good guy. I just... I hate that anyone has the wrong idea about me. You need to put it right, that's all. Print it. Just like that.'

He jabbed his index finger on the paper he'd already put on Daichi's desk. He picked it up again, scanning Bokuto's writing, a worried expression on his face. A cough came from the corner of the room, and Daichi realised he'd almost forgotten Oikawa was standing there.

'Oikawa, what do you think about him doing this?'

He smirked and looked at him over his glasses, before uncrossing his arms and walking over to the desk.

'You know as well as I do, once he has an idea, that's it. I can't talk him out of it.' He took the sheet of paper from Daichi's proffered hand, re-reading it. 'I do wonder why you're against it, though. Hits a bit too close to home, does it?'

'Is that a threat?'

'God, no! Why would it be? I'm just saying, it hits too close for me, it wouldn't surprise me if you were the same.' Daichi began to speak, but Bokuto interrupted him.

'If you two don't mind, this is about _me_. This is what I want.'

Oikawa looked at Daichi and raised an eyebrow. 'See?'

He snatched the paper from Oikawa, and thrust it back at Daichi. There was trepidation in his face, but they could both see he was completely earnest.

'Print it. As it is. This month's issue. Please.'

A sigh of resignation escaped Daichi, as he nodded in defeat.

–

Feeling the vibration of his phone in his pocket, Akaashi paused by a nearby wall and slipped it out to answer.

'Hey, Ennoshita.'

There was a slight pause, and his friend's voice sounded more strained than usual.

'Hey. Urm, have you seen the latest issue yet?

'Yeah, I saw it before it went to print.' Akaashi was puzzled. He never saw the finished issue outside of the office, they had a batch delivered there as soon as it was printed, a couple of days before it was released to the public, just to be sure there were no glaring errors.

'Nah, there was an addendum. You got to see it.' Now Akaashi was really intrigued, not once in all the years he'd worked for them had the print run looked different to the proof.

'Look, I'm on my way right now, I'm almost there. I'll see it then.'

Something must have gone badly wrong before publication for Ennoshita to be as worked up as that. He hung up, and carried on walking to the office down a tree lined street; the cherry trees were beginning to blossom, and he realised it was the first day of April.

As he closed in on their building, he spotted Ennoshita outside, and his nerves kicked up a notch. What on earth had happened that would have him waiting on the doorstep to intercept him?

'I know, I know,' he said walking up to Akaashi, holding out a magazine. 'Honestly, you'll thank me.'

He took the magazine, looking at him with a scowl, and started flicking through.

'It's page 5, under the editorial.'

But Akaashi had already found it. It was hard to ignore a large photograph of Bokuto smiling, with his arm slung over the shoulders of two of his bandmates, the third standing behind them all, frowning. He recognised the shot as one taken during the shoot he'd done the previous month.

Scanning down a little, he read the title, a sinking feeling growing in his gut; 'Correction and Apology'. He looked up, to see Ennoshita looking carefully back at him.

'You read it all yet?'

Akaashi shook his head, turning his eyes back to the page.

_'Parklife would like to apologise for a mistake printed in our last issue. A photograph of Tanaka Saeko was printed, suggesting she was dating Bokuto Koutarou. The truth is that Saeko is actually dating her high school boyfriend, and she is just close friends with Koutarou. We'd like to sincerely apologise for any hurt we may have caused either Saeko or her boyfriend._

_Bokuto Koutarou would also like to let it be known that he is not heterosexual, and it should not be assumed that he, or indeed anyone else, is dating someone they are photographed hugging. Gender and sexuality is too difficult to capture in a single frame. He'd also like it to be known he's interested in someone at the minute, even though there aren't any photos of him hugging them (yet).'_

'What the fuck?' Akaashi whispered under his breath. He read it through again two more times in disbelief; Ennoshita was still not speaking, obviously waiting for his reaction.

'You ok?' he finally asked.

'Who wrote this?'

'Apparently it was Bokuto. He came in with his agent, demanded we print an apology.'

'I knew he was pissed off about it, but... ?' Akaashi's stomach churned. This could ruin his whole career, maybe even the band's future. Was it worth it?

He thought back to a pro skateboarder he knew who'd come out around five years ago, and been basically hounded out of the sport. Even worse, the toxicity within the punk scene, while steadily improving over the years, still made things difficult for anyone being truthful about their sexuality.

It always surprised Akaashi how that scene was more accepting of people looking different from the usual, by means of body modifications, hair styles and clothing, than those who thought or acted outside of what was expected.

'I mean it's clever in a way,' Ennoshita said, tapping a finger onto the magazine page. 'He's made it clear it's not what the magazine believes. At least he kept us out of it.'

'But what about him! Fuck's sake. He's worked so hard. Why's he throwing it away? Just for this?'

Ennoshita shook his head and smiled. 'I wonder why? It says right there. He's into someone, obviously wants them to know he's single.'

Despite reading through it more than once, somehow Akaashi hadn't noticed that. _He's interested in someone at the minute._ Was it...?

'Ennoshita, can you tell Daichi I'll be in after lunch? I need to... do... something.'

'Oh, wherever could you be going? Yeah, yeah, I'll go tell him. It's not like I met you out here for a reason, or anything.'

Akaashi missed the sarcasm in his voice as he ran off, his mind was already twenty minutes down the road, in the cafe with Bokuto.

–

He was already there when Bokuto arrived, sitting at a table, stirring his coffee. That should have been his first clue that things weren't normal, Akaashi didn't have milk or sugar, but he'd been so relieved to get a phone call, he wasn't thinking clearly enough to spot it.

He took advantage of not being spotted, and drank in Akaashi's face; heavy lidded green eyes, framed with dark unruly hair, underlined with a delicate, narrow mouth. He was easily the most beautiful person Bokuto had ever seen, but it was an appreciation that had really only come with time.

The first time he'd met him, it had been dark, he'd been lit from behind, and Bokuto had been wiping sweat out of his stinging eyes. He'd spent time chatting to him, but hadn't got any idea what he looked like, if he was honest. He was too busy talking to him to remember; he might not be able to pick out his face, but he knew he had a sense of humour that was somehow warm, even though slightly dry and cruel, and a wide variety of hobbies that Bokuto either shared or could appreciate.

In fact, he remembered so little about his appearance that when they bumped into each other three days later, and Akaashi called him by name, he automatically assumed he was a fan and offered him an autograph, causing much eye rolling from Akaashi, and incredulous laughter from everyone else present.

The most important thing was his innate understanding of Bokuto himself. He had plenty of friends, and whilst he knew they all loved and cared about him, he'd never met anyone who could read him, and know what he needed quite as well as Akaashi did; he understood him better than he understood himself a lot of the time.

He'd wanted to tell him how he felt, more than once, but something always got in the way. Most recently was the magazine publishing that photo. It would have been hard to explain why he was so upset about it _without_ confessing his feelings to Akaashi, and yet somehow he'd still managed it.

He'd missed every opportunity that was handed to him to explain how he felt, which in itself was some kind of achievement. His terrible failures were a running joke with Kuroo, who had guessed what was going on before he even realised himself; his favourite was the time Akaashi asked him out on a date, and Bokuto _still_ hadn't said anything.

'He brought snacks with him for you,' he had started more than once, counting off on his fingers. 'He wanted to teach you how to skateboard. He held your fucking _hands_ for crying out loud. You couldn't just lean in for a kiss?'

'I was standing on a skateboard! They're wobbly. I didn't want to break it.'

'The only thing you're breaking is my heart, just get on with it before he gets bored.'

So that morning, he'd texted Kuroo to tell him that his losing streak was over. Today was the day. Once he saw the paragraph he'd written for the magazine, Akaashi would know.

He started walking over, unable to wait any more.

–

He caught a flash of red from the corner of his eye, and looked up from the magazine as Bokuto sat opposite him.

'So you saw it?' His voice was softer than usual, and Akaashi had to fight to keep his resolve. He refused to make eye contact, looking down as he massaged his knuckles.

'What's the meaning of this?'

'I asked Daichi to make things right. Did you...'

'Is this a joke?' he interrupted, his voice louder and shakier than he wanted it to be.

'What?'

'Are you making fun of me? Because of my feelings?'

'I don't... what... Um. Seriously, what?'

Akaashi still hadn't looked up. He knew the minute he did, he'd see Bokuto's smirk blooming, as his face would split into a grin as he revealed the truth. He'd laugh along, despite the pain inside, and they'd never see each other again.

'I know what day it is. I know what this is. I'm not stupid.'

'I think I might be. I have no idea...'

'It's an April Fool.' He had stopped rubbing his fingers, and was now picking at the skin with his thumbnail, watching his flesh turn white under the pressure.

Akaashi had never been fond of any pranks, but especially not ones like this. When you're accepting of people's quirks, lies about reality are hard to swallow. Once, he got excited to read about a younger cousin's pregnancy, sending a long message telling her that even though she was young, he would help her and stand by her. To then have her respond with a blasé, 'It was just a joke', made him feel ridiculous. He didn't learn straight away, and the next year he'd gone over to a friend's house to check he was ok after he announced he was getting divorced, only to have the door answered by his wife, saying, 'Have you seen the date?'

So now, he generally avoided going online on April 1st. But this prank had come and found him, and it felt like a slap in the face. It was the most foolish he'd ever felt for believing something, even if just for a few minutes of bliss.

'I get it. You worked out I like you. You're making fun of me, pretending to come out.' He huffed out a soft laugh. 'Good one.'

Finally the laughter came from across the table. Akaashi squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to let the tears fall. As Bokuto seemed to be descending into hysterics, he made the decision to leave quickly; he stood up, and pushed his chair away, starting the humiliating walk out of the door.

He was stopped by a hand on his wrist. 'Don't go. I'm not laughing at you. I promise. Sit down. Please.'

There was something in his voice, a pleading sincerity, that made him finally look at his face. He also had tears glistening in his eyes, opening wide as they looked into his, chin trembling slightly as he fought to hold it still.

He couldn't leave, he had to hear him out. He sat back down, without a word, just a silent nod for Bokuto to explain himself.

'I can't believe I keep fucking this up. But this time. I can't believe... I upset you. I'm so sorry. Shit.'

At last he seemed genuinely sorry for playing such a cruel trick. He still wasn't sure how they'd get past it, but that had to count for something.

'Ok, I accept your apology, Bokuto. Now may I leave.'

'No! You still don't get it! I can't believe you think I would. What a shitty thing. Never. I never would. But that's not even the most. Kuroo is going to love this. It's just too ridiculous.'

Even through his lingering anger, he could tell Bokuto was starting to spiral, and he needed him to stay focused or he'd never get the truth.

'Calm down, Bokuto.' He pushed his glass of water over towards him; Bokuto popped one of his pills from the packet in his coat pocket, and swallowed it with a large draft from the glass.

'Thanks. I'd forgotten with everything.'

'I thought so.'

Bokuto took a deep breath and started again. 'It's not a prank. I really am gay. I thought you'd realised from the other week, when we talked about the photo. But, obviously not. Anyway, I'm just sick of not being myself, just 'cause people might be homophobic. Things are better for bands these days. Hell, people already write about me doing Kuroo, I'm sure they'll be fine with it.'

A blush crept across Akaashi's cheek he hoped wouldn't be noticed. He'd googled Bokuto's name, one night when he couldn't sleep, just to scroll through photos other than the ones on his phone. He'd found those short stories, as well as something called 'reader insert fic' starring Bokuto, which had distracted him for a few minutes. A few minutes, every night that week.

'So, yeah, I'm gay. And if I heard you right, you like me as well. That's what you said earlier. That I'd worked it out, that you like me. Well, I had sort of worked it out, but it's nice to hear it out loud, that you like me as well.'

He was still rambling a bit, but Akaashi heard it twice; 'As well.'

'You like me, Bokuto?'

Bokuto's head stopped moving around and came to a dead stop, facing him. His eyes were wide, his mouth forming a circle, and he looked so much like a cartoon that Akaashi had to stifle a laugh.

'Oh. Yeah. I, urm. Shit. Yeah, I do. That's what this whole...' he waved his hand in a circle between the two of them, as he thought, '...mess was about.'

'It is a bit of a mess, isn't it?'

'I know!' He suddenly stood up, and ran out of the shop, leaving Akaashi staring after him dumbfounded. He looked over at Yukie, who had been trying not to eavesdrop, but she looked just as confused.

'What the fuck?' She started laughing and shaking her head. 'God, I love working here. You two are just...'

The ting of the bell over the door interrupted her, and Bokuto walked back in. He looked around the cafe pretending to search for Akaashi, before 'finding' him with an exaggerated look of recognition and striding over.

'Ah! There you are, Akaashi.' He pulled his chair around the table, plonking himself at a right angle to Akaashi. He sat on the edge of the seat, leaning his elbows on the table, and propping his chin on his hands.

Akaashi looked from side to side. 'I'm the only person in here, Bokuto.'

He was sitting closer than he ever remembered him doing, focus solely on Akaashi. He was smiling at him, half hidden by his knuckles. There was a hint of vanilla, and Akaashi subconsciously leaned forward to see if it was drifting from Bokuto, or from something in the food cabinet.

Bokuto caught the slight shift, and mirrored him, catching him unaware. Their faces bumped, lips half meeting, taking both of them by surprise.

He started to speak, 'Oh! Sorry, I thought you were...' but Akaashi cut him off, tipping his chin upwards with his fingertips, planting his lips squarely on his this time.

A moment of shock went through Bokuto's eyes, before he closed them, relaxing into the kiss a little. His lips were softer than Akaashi had expected, and as he registered the slipperiness, he realised where the vanilla smell was coming from.

He pulled away and opened his eyes; Bokuto's hands had moved, and had paused while stretching towards Akaashi, caught in the act.

'Did you put lip balm on when you went outside?'

'Worked, didn't it?'

His arms resumed their stretch, wrapping themselves around Akaashi awkwardly as they both remained seated, pulling him back into a kiss. This time they were both prepared, and their lips parted, moving against each other more assuredly. Without breaking contact, Akaashi shuffled his chair around towards Bokuto, moving his hands from where they'd been trapped between them to pull him even closer.

With a sigh, Yukie forced herself to go into the kitchen and start on the washing up. They'd all hear the door bell if anyone else went in, might as well leave them to it.

–

May's issue of Parklife came out, and it seemed it was now tradition to have a photo of Bokuto with his arm around someone somewhere within the pages.

This time, it was at an awards ceremony. He was wearing a deep burgundy tuxedo, hair slicked back from his forehead. His arm was resting on Akaashi's shoulder, also wearing a tuxedo, this one navy blue. Bokuto was pressing his lips against his temple, Akaashi wrapping his arm around his waist in return. His expression was one of fond irritation.

The caption read; ' _Bokuto Koutarou, with Parklife's own photographer Akaashi Keiji. The drummer wants to point out that sometimes it's ok to assume people are dating when they're photographed together, and this is one of those times._ '


End file.
